Podcast Episode: Succeeding Despite the Side-Eye: Proving Them Wrong, One Win at a Time

The bigger you dream, the fewer people will understand it. And that’s okay. You’re not here to be understood. You’re here to win – whatever winning looks like for you.

If you’re listening to this, you have some kind of entrepreneurial spirit about you. There’s something already a little bit different about you because the majority of people don’t want to step into entrepreneurship. It’s scary, unknown, and requires a shit ton of work and effort.

But here’s the thing: when you’re entrepreneurial-minded and have that itch to do something different, you need to understand that you’re now doing something exponentially different than the average person. And with that comes wearing different lenses of life than most people in your life right now.

The harsh truth? If you’re building a business, someone out there will think it’s a joke.

The Reality Check Nobody Prepared You For

Your mom will ask you, “When are you getting a real job?” Your friends who’ve been at their nine-to-five jobs forever will probably roll their eyes when they see you made a reel about something on Instagram. Your coworkers will think whatever you’re doing is stupid and will never amount to anything.

Not because these people are bad people – they just wear different lenses through which they see the world. And when you’re expecting everyone to see the world like you do, you’re going to be massively disappointed.

Most people won’t get it. They’ll see your grind as failure because the payoff for entrepreneurship isn’t obvious in the beginning. Entrepreneurs are these weird people who decide to devote their lives to upfront struggle, even when their life seems perfectly fine already.

My Network Marketing “Cult” Story

Let me share a story that perfectly illustrates this. When I first started in network marketing 11 years ago, I didn’t know any better, so I was acting like one of those weirdos with the rah-rah energy that the industry is known for.

My sister – who I love dearly but who wants stability, safety, and predictability – said to me: “You are in a cult.”

Because I was brand new and had just started, I doubted myself. I thought, “My God, what if she’s right? Am I in a cult?” I started questioning everything about my choice to enter network marketing – my ability, myself, my team, all of it.

I got so defensive and said some nasty choice words (this was 11 years ago, after all). But I remember thinking, “I’ll show her.”

And I built my network marketing business into a successful seven-figure company through what I like to call “I’ll show you” energy.

Why They Don’t Get It (And That’s Perfectly Fine)

People fear what they don’t understand. Your family and friends have been trained to think success means a nine-to-five job, a steady paycheck, a boss breathing down their neck. When you tell them you’re building something from scratch, they hear:

• Risk
• Unstable
• Delusional
• Lighting your life on fire for the potential of money

And you know what? That’s okay.

Some people will get it, and some people won’t. A lot of people project their own insecurities and fears onto you because they’d never dare step out of their comfort zones. Most people won’t.

Write this down somewhere in your office: I am not most people.

If you’re looking to build a business, you are not most people, and there has to be an element of you fully accepting that in order to succeed.

How to Tune Out the Noise When It Gets Loud

1. Set Hard Boundaries

You don’t owe anyone an explanation as to why you’re doing what you’re doing. Don’t share your vision with too many of the wrong people because you’ll be influenced by how they think, and pretty soon your lenses will look just like theirs.

Boundaries look like: When someone tries to bait you into a conversation about your “crazy” business idea, don’t take the bait. You’re an adult – act like one.

2. Find Your Tribe

Join a community of entrepreneurs who have the same lenses as you do, who are in the trenches like you are, who see life differently. These are the people who will hype you up when you’re ready to quit and won’t let you get sucked back into the quitting mindset.

Where to find them:

• Skool.com
• Meetup.com (entrepreneurial meetups)
• Facebook groups and communities

Remember: you are not most people. When you leave your house and socialize among people who aren’t like you, you’ll constantly be sucked back into how they view things, and you’ll eventually quit.

3. Filter Your Feedback

Your ears need to be like a sifter – let the beautiful parts through and keep the clumps out.

Here’s the rule: If someone has never built a business, their opinions don’t matter. Period. If you wouldn’t trade shoes with them in a heartbeat, their opinions don’t matter. End of story.

I don’t care if it’s the closest people to you – if they’ve never done what you’re doing, they have no idea what it takes.

The Power of Small Wins (Your Secret Weapon)

You know what will really shut everyone up? Results. But big wins take time, so you have to focus on small wins:

• Landing your first client – celebrate
• Selling your first digital product – celebrate
• Gaining your first $1 affiliate commission – celebrate
• Posting your first piece of content and getting zero views – celebrate anyway

Keep a win journal. Every time something goes right, write it down. When self-doubt creeps in (and it will), read that journal and remind yourself you’re moving forward, even if it feels slow.

Momentum builds confidence. Action builds confidence. And confidence silences critics faster than any defensive argument ever will.

Proving Them Wrong (The Right Way)

Proving people wrong isn’t about revenge – it’s about rising. The best way to shut up your doubters is to show up for yourself.

When my sister told me I was in a cult and I built my business to over seven figures, I showed up for myself. While people were doubting me, I was building. While they spent their energy judging me and talking behind my back, I was building a life of freedom and financial choice.

So who really won?

Proving people wrong means:

• Staying disciplined
• Working when it’s hard, not just when it’s fun
• Keeping your vision so clear it drowns out the noise

Here’s the kicker: when you finally make it, their opinions begin to matter less and less. Your need for their validation completely dissipates because you have your own validation – and that’s exponentially stronger.

The Truth About Doubt (It’s Actually a Good Sign)

People doubting you is not a sign that you’re failing. It’s proof that you’re doing something bigger and bolder.

There is not an entrepreneur in the fucking world who didn’t dream so big that everyone in their life thought they were crazy at some point.

The bigger you dream, the fewer people will understand it. And that is okay. You’re not here to be understood. You’re here to win.

My Message to the Doubters

Eleven years later, I look back at the people who judged me, who spoke ill about me because I was going after something I really wanted. I look at their lives now and the regrets they have, and there’s no amount of money in the world that could make me want to switch places with them.

I’m so grateful for that doubt because it fueled me.

The next time someone gives you that look at the dinner table, the next time someone silently judges you, the next time someone asks a question coded with “are you fucking crazy?” energy – just smile. Because you are sure about it.

While they’re busy doubting, you’ll be busy building the life they’ll wish they had built in three, five, ten years from now.

The Bottom Line

Remember this: their approval does not pay your mortgage. If you’re looking for approval from other people, entrepreneurship is not for you. If you’re looking to follow your gut and follow your vision that only you have in your brain, entrepreneurship is an awesome path to do that.

People doubting you is actually a sign that you’re on the right track. Let it fuel you like it fueled me.

You will be a force to be fucking reckoned with if you can stay the course in the face of judgment because that quality is something most people simply don’t have.

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